Filter and adsorber for fluid treatment



Feb. 16, 1954 s. w. BRIGGS FILTER AND ADSORBER FOR FLUID TREATMENT Filed Dec. 7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 I-- 'll' 'I I j 7 r ia 3 HTTORNEY Feb. 16, 1954 s. w. BRIGGS 2,669,3l8

FILTER AND ADSORBER FOR FLUID TREATMENT Filed Dec. '7, 1950 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 5'OUTHWICK W Bama&

INVENTOR.

aTfoNaY partially in section.

Patented Feb. 16, 1954 FILTERAND ADSORBER FOR' FLUID TREATMEN T Southwick Briggs, Washington, D. C. Application December 7, 1950, Serial No. 19,9,647

removed.

A further object of the invention is to provide a refill structure which is staged to insure com-- plete separation of water from the fluid.

Yet another object is to provide an adsorbent block which is shaped to facilitate the separation of moisture from the fluid.

Another-object of the invention is to provide an adsorbent block which is shaped to control the drainage of free water therefrom.

Still another object of the invention is to provide an adsorbent block which is 'shaped so as to direct the flow of free water draining therefrom into a predetermined path.

These and other objects will become apparent from a study of the specification and the drawings which are attached hereto and are made a part hereof and in which:

Figure 1 is a Vertical sectional View paratus with the refill in place.

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view of the refill.

Figure 3 is a plan view of the adsorbent block.

Figure 4 is an elevation of the block shown of the ap- Figure 5 is a sectional view of the apparatus taken substantially on ,line 5-5 of Figure 1 'showing the inlet.

'- Fgure 6 is a sectional View of the apparatus taken substantially on the line 6-5 of Figure 1 'to show the means :for holding the refill in place. *Referring first to Figures 1, 5 and 6, the numeral I indicates a top head which has a' support bracket 3 and an outlet spout-5 which includes the outlet channel 1. A boss 9 is formed onthe head, depends therefrom, and has an insert I-l cast or otherwise sealed centrally therein. The insert is provided with a blind, threaded hole 3 therein which is coaxial with the boss. A tie rod I 5 has a threaded end IT which is receivedin the hole I 3.

;Thehead has-.a circular fiange I 9 depending therefrom which is. provided with a groove z 2I in.-whlch is seated a gasket 23. `A- cylinder 257 has one end seated on this gasket and the other end on a similar gasket 21, seated in a similar groove 29 in the bottom head s.

The bottom head has a central boss 33 which is provided with a hole 35 through which the tie rod passes and with a drain hole 31 fitted with a drain cock 39. The lower end of the hole 35 is provided with a seat 4l. An acorn nut 43 which screws on the threaded end 457 of the tie rod [5 is seated on 4I and serves to hold the heads andcylinder together to form an outer chamber or tank.

The head l has a radial seat 41 formed therein on which is a gasket 49. An adapter 5! rests at its upper end on the gasket and is provided with a radial seat 53 at its lower end to receive the gasket 55 on which one end of refill 5? rests.

As seen particularly in Figure 2, the refill comprises a central tube 59 and an outer cylinder or conduit 60 both of metal or other material, to both of `which are cemented as at 6! a number of blocks 63 of adsorbent material.

A bar 65 having a central hole 671 therein is mounted on the tie rod I 5. A rubber ring or seal 69 is disposed between the bar and the lower end of the tube 59 and the bar and a nut 'H on the threaded end 45 of the tie rod i 5 compresses the bar and seal against the tube 59 and also forces the cylinder 60, gasket 53, adapter l, gasket 41 and the top head into scaling relation with the parts adjacent them.

As shown particularly in Figure 5, the upper head has an inlet conduit 13 which communicates Withthe space between the cylinder 60 of the r`efill and the outer cylinder 25.

The adsorbent block or body 63 is porous and is preferably an activated metallic oxide such as aluminum, magnesium or iron oxide bonded together witha material containing the phosphoric acid radical, by the process disclosed in the patent issued to Herbert Hans Greger, Number 2,324,0'79, on July 13, 1943, for Adsorbent Material.`

' I prefer to make the blockin a tubular form having thick walls and having a substantially i; A' umb f ,b c sar e en t ,th .tube 559 ;and cylinder sam vertically spaced relation with ,geach-pth r ndw th hesap ce 'r t u war y- As a cement Bl for bonding the blocks to the tube and cylinder, I prefer to use paste made up of about 50% of silicate of soda, of zinc oxide and 40% of water.

lt is, of course, obvious that I may use other adsorbents, such as silica gel, carbon or fuller's earth instead of the metallic oxide disclosed in the Greger patent and that I may also use any suitable cementng material 'for bonding such blocks to the tube and cylinder.

operation In operation, the fluid contaminated With moisture is usually supplied, under pressure, to the conduit 13 through which it flows downward through the annular space formed by the cylinders 25 and 60 and thereafter upwardly past the end of cylinder 60 past bar 85' and through the first block GB. The fluid with some or 'all of the moisture removed then passes through the space between the first and second blocls and through the second block where a further amount of any residual moisture in the fluid is either partially or completely removed and so on through the remainder of the blocks.

The conical surface 51 in each block. increases the area which is exposed to the fluid and thereby retards plugging of the unit by foreign solids. It also causes the gravitat'ion oi any droplets of moisture, which may collect on the surface, to the outer peripheral zone thereof where they will coalesce with other particles or droplets until they become heavy enough to drop from the block.

If the moisture thus collected is in one oi the upper blocks it will drop into the circular channel ormed by the conical portion 65 of the adjacent lower block and the cylinder Sii which serves as a reservoir to hold it so that it may eventually filter downwardly through the blocks, near the outer periphery thereof and be eventually discharged into the lower portion of the tani: where it can be drawn ofi through the cock 39.

This guiding of non-adsorbed, separated liquid into a predetermined zone 'or path also prevents the reentrainment of the liquid in the fluid and thus enables a given amount of moisture to be removed by a lesser quantity of adsorbent than would be otherwise possible, since additional blocks would be required to insure against moisture carrying over.

I'he dried fluid then passe's 'out the outlet channel 'i to the point of use.

When the refill becomes plugged or inefiective to the degree required, the nut l, head M, cylinder Eli, nut si, bar 65' and seal 69 are removed. This permits the refill to be slipped from the tie rod !5 and a new one to be installed in its place. The removed unit may then be reactivated by heating it.

t should be noticed that the 'seal 69 and gaskets 55 and ti prevent any fluid from by-passing the blocks.

It is obvious that 'various changes may be made in the form, structure and arrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, applicant does not desire to be limited to the specific embodiment disclosed hei-ein primarily for purposes of illustration; but instead, he desires protection falling fairly within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim to be 'new and desire 'to protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A refill 'for anadsorber comprising 'a tube, a number of integral, porous blocks of frangibl'e adsorbent material disposed in the tube in spaced relation therealong and means for sealingly holding the blocks in the tube, the contiguous surfaces of adjacent blocks being formed so that one of said surfaces defines a cavity and the other defines a protuberance.

2. A refill for an adsorber compr'sing a pair of concentric tubes, a number of integral, porous blocks of frangible adsorbent material disposed in the space between the tubes in spaced relation therealong and means for sealingly holding the blocks to both of said tubes, the contiguous surfaces of adjacent blocks being ormed as surfaces of revolution, one of said surfaces defining a cavity and the other surface defining a protuberance, said axes of revolution of said surfaces and the longitudinal axes of said tubes being substantiall coincident.

3. A refill for an adsorber comprising a pair of concentric tubes, a number of integral, porous blocks of frangible adsorbent material disposed in the space between the tubes in spaced relation therealong and means for sealingly holding the blocks to both of said tubes, the contiguous surfaces of adjacent 'blocks being in the form of a conic frustum, one of said surfaces defining a cavity and the other surface defining a protuberance, said axes of revolution of said surfaces and the longitudinal axes of said tubes being substantially coincident.

e. In a stripper and adsorber, a tank having an inlet and an outlet, means defining a path for fluid between said inlet and outlet including a substantially vertical, upwardly directed Conduit, a number of integral, porous bodies of finely divided, bonded, adsorbent material, each having an inlet and an outlet surface, and means for sealingly interposing said bodies in said conduit in superposed spaced relation, each body being constructed and arranged to provide an inlet surface having a portion thereo disposed at a lower level than the renainder, whereby separated free liquid collected on the surface will drain toward said portion.

5. In a stripper and adsorber, a tank having an inlet and an outlet, means dening a path for fluid between said inlet and outlet including a substantially Vertical, upwardly directed conduit, a number of integral, porous bodies of 'finely divided, bonded, adsorbent material, each having an inlet and an outlet surface, and means for sealingly interposing said bodies in said. conduit in superposed spaced relation, each body being constructed to provide an inlet surface having a portion therecf disposed at a lower level than the remainder of the surface whereby separated liquid collected on the surface will drain toward said portion, the body disposed subjacent said surface being constructed to provide an outlet surface having the portion thereof mmediately subjacent said inlet surface portion, disposed at a lower level than the remainder of said outlet surface, whereby to` provide a voir or liquid drained portion.

6. The structure defined in claim 5 wherein said inlet and outlet surfaces are suraces of revolution generated about a substantially vertical axis, the one surface defining a cavity and the other defining a 'protuberance 7. The structure defined in claim 5 wherein said inlet and outlet surfaces are substantially conical surfaces having their 'central axes substantially vertical, the one surface defining a cavity and the other a protuberance.

8. The structure defined in claim 5 Wherein from said inlet surface each inlet surface defines a cavity and the subjacent outlet surface defines a protuberance.

9. The structure defined in claim 4 wherein said porous bodies comprise particles of adsorbent material bonded together to 'form a porous integral block.

10. Apparatus for the separation of a liquid from a fluid in which it is entrained comprising a casing having an inlet and an outlet, a conduit supported in the casing with its upper end communicating with the outlet and its lower end communicating with the inlet, and a plurality of integral, adsorbent blocks mounted in spaced vertical alignment in the conduit, the outer edge of the blocks in sealed engagement with the conduit, the lower surface of the blocks sloping to a lowermost, depending area and the upper surface of the blocks sloping to a recessed area in 6 vertical alignment with said depending area, Whereby liquid coalesced on the lower surface of a block drains to the lowermost area and from there to the recessed area of the next lower block.

SQUTHWICK W. BRIGGS.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 779,201 Blackmarr et al. Jan. 3, 1905 1,746,774 Jenkins Feb. 11, 1930 2,026,935 Downs Jan. 7, 1936 2,225,990 Henry Dec. 24, 1940 2304329 Kamrath Dec. 15, 1942 2,325,657 Burkness Aug. 3, 1943 2,406,278 Worth Aug. 20, 1946 

